In a move that is not getting nearly enough bad publicity, Warner Brothers completely betrayed fans of the Harry Potter movie series. The sixth installment of one of the largest movie franchise of all time was delayed from its original theater release in November until July of 2009, a delay of 8 months! The problem I have with the move is that days before the announcement, they released the first teaser trailer of the movie which gave a November release date. The reasons given by WB for the delay, according to the podcast Mugglecast, are due to the unexpected success of The Dark Knight and the writers strike. Ultimately it came down to putting profits in front of customers.
While this move will not likely hurt ticket sales, it reflects badly on Warner Brothers. There are even passionate fans who have started a movement to boycott the films. Over 43,000 people have signed a petition at Petitionspot.com to have the release date moved back to November. This is not the first time Warner Brothers has made questionable marketing decisions. They have been known to attack the very fansites of their most passionate customers who are promoting their movies. To not keep their promise to customers is one of the worst marketing crimes a company can commit. Warner Bros. is certainly not a company that puts customers first and deserves a whole lot of rotten tomatoes.